Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with a (bio)chemical sensor wherein a thin film, fiber or other article is chemically treated with a substance known to interact in the presence of a second substance so as to produce a reaction which can be detected and quantified by analytical methods.
(Bio)chemical sensor systems have been developed and used in the fields of chemical, biochemical, biological or biomedical analysis, process control, pollution detection and control and other areas. A typical application involves the chemical coating of a thin film, cable or other article followed by excitation and measurement in the presence of the particular sample of interest. Recent advances in miniaturized sensor technology have resulted in three popular configurations: fluorescence-based, surface plasmon resonance, and light transmission sensors.
A known prior art sensor system is the fluorescence-based fiber optic oxygen cable sensor which uses a single high brightness Light Emitting Diode (LED) to produce an excitation signal that catalyzes the emission properties of the fluorescence coating material. The excitation signal is first guided through a filter and then through the cable, which is coated, unclad, and mounted in a gas flow cell. Light escaping the cell excites the coated dye on the cable which, in turn, emits a certain intensity of light related to the concentration of the oxygen sample. The emitted light is then directed through a second filter and to a light detector via a collecting lens. The output of the detector is amplified and read out on an instrument.
Another known prior art sensor system uses a multi-pin hermetically sealed package that encloses all of the light filtering, light guiding and light detection components within. The package can be inserted into a socket or slot of a computer or other system processor creating an interface between the sensor and the processor via the pins. Due to the number of pins, however, replacing, removing or inserting the chip may be difficult or require special tools.
Prior art sensor systems have limited use in most practical field applications. The signal generator, LED, lens, filter, detector, amplifier and other components are bulky, require significant amounts of work space and cannot be easily transported to the sample site. The costs of manufacturing and maintaining such systems are high prohibiting high volume manufacturing.
Moreover, prior art sensors are not designed for low cost disposable applications wherein the sensor can be disposed after serving its useful life. A cost effective sensor having an onboard power cell has not been contemplated and, as such, prior art sensor packages require an interface to an external power supply or other source of operating power.
Another limitation of the prior art sensors the number and types of components used which in many instances are custom made based on the particular application. System maintenance is high and requires specialized knowledge.
Yet another limitation of the prior art sensors is system integration with equipment such as a personal computers, hand held instruments or other signal processors used to measure and quantify sample data. A dedicated bus or interface between the sensor and the processor is required increasing the number of signal paths between the sensors detector and the processor.